Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 130 / Thursday, July 7, 2011 / Proposed Rules 39797 

plan to review its existing significant 

regulations in response to the 

President’s Executive Order 13563 on 

Improving Regulation and Regulatory 

Review. The Office’s plan is part of the 

Department of Commerce’s (‘‘DOC’’) 

‘‘Preliminary Plan for Retrospective 

Analysis of Existing Rules,’’ which 

recently has been made public. The 

Office is implementing the parts of 

DOC’s plan that relate to review of the 

Office’s existing significant regulations. 

Those parts of the plan set forth a 

process for reviewing the Office’s 

regulations and determining whether 

any of these regulations should be 

modified, streamlined, expanded, or 

repealed in order to make the Office’s 

regulatory program more effective and 

less burdensome. Now that the 

preliminary plan has been completed 

and published, the Office is asking the 

public to provide comments on the plan 

prior to it being finalized. 

DATES: You must submit any comments 

on or before September 6, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments 

electronically by e-mailing them 

directly to the Office at regulatory_

review_comments@uspto.gov. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

mail addressed to: Office of the General 

Counsel, United States Patent and 

Trademark Office, P.O. Box 1450, 

Alexandria, VA 22313–1450, marked to 

the attention of Nicolas Oettinger. 

Although comments may be submitted 

by mail, the Office prefers to receive 

comments via the Internet. Comments 

may also be submitted through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal Web site at 

http://www.regulations.gov. Additional 

instructions on providing comments 

through the Federal eRulemaking Portal 

are available at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. All comments 

submitted directly to the Office or 

provided on the Federal eRulemaking 

Portal should include the docket 

number (PTO–C–2011–0026). 

All comments will be available for 

public inspection upon request at the 

Office of the Commissioner for Patents, 

located in Madison East, Tenth Floor, 

600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 

and will be available on the USPTO 

Web site at http://www.uspto.gov. All 

comments submitted through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal will be 

made available publicly on that Web 

site. Because comments will be made 

available for public inspection, 

information that the submitter does not 

desire to make public, such as an 

address or phone number, should not be 

included in the comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nicolas Oettinger, Office of the General 

Counsel, by telephone at 571–272–7832, 

by e-mail at 

nicolas.oettinger@uspto.gov, or by mail 

addressed to Mail Stop Comments— 

Patents, Commissioner for Patents, P.O. 

Box 1450, Alexandria, VA 22313–1450, 

marked to the attention of Nicolas 

Oettinger. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

January 18, 2011, President Obama 

issued Executive Order 13563, 

Improving Regulation and Regulatory 

Review. E.O. 13563, 76 FR 3281. The 

Executive Order directed agencies to 

develop and submit, within 120 days, 

preliminary plans for reviewing their 

existing ‘‘significant regulations’’ (as 

that term is defined in Executive Order 

12866) and determining whether and 

how such regulations could be made 

more effective and less burdensome. 

Additional information about Executive 

Order 13563, and the work that agencies 

have done to comply with the Order, 

can be found at http://www.whitehouse.

gov/21stcenturygov/actions/21stcentury-regulatory-system. 

The Office, in its capacity as an 

agency within DOC, has developed a 

preliminary plan for the review of its 

existing significant regulations, which is 

part of DOC’s more general preliminary 

plan that was prepared in accordance 

with Executive Order 13563. DOC’s 

preliminary plan, which includes the 

process by which the Office will engage 

in a retrospective analysis of its existing 

significant regulations and a list of 

candidate regulations for review over 

the next two years, was submitted to the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) on May 18, 2011 in accordance 

with Executive Order 13563. The plan 

has been made available to the public 

on DOC’s Web site at http:// 

www.commerce.gov and on the White 

House Web site at http://www.

whitehouse.gov/21stcenturygov/actions/

21st-century-regulatory-system. 

The Office is now working on 

finalizing the portions of this 

preliminary plan that relate to the 

Office. When the Office was preparing 

its preliminary plan, it solicited public 

comments with its March 22, 2011 

Federal Register notice, and those 

comments were valuable in developing 

the plan. Now that the Office is working 

on finalizing the plan, the Office seeks 

further comment from the public on the 

portions of DOC’s preliminary plan that 

relate to the Office. 

The Office welcomes any comments 

the public believes might be helpful as 

it works on finalizing the plan. In 

particular, comments on ways in which 

the plan can be improved or best 

implemented are encouraged, as are 

comments on the list of candidate 

regulations for review that is set forth in 

the plan and any suggestions for 

additional regulations that should be 

considered for review. 

In order to comply with OMB 

guidance that directs plans to be 

finalized within 80 days of their 

publication, the Office asks that 

comments on the plan be submitted by 

September 6, 2011. The Office will 

continue to receive and consider 

comments submitted after that date. The 

Office plans to continue receiving 

comments on the plan, and considering 

such comments as it implements and 

refines the plan, on a going-forward 

basis. The Office will maintain a Web 

page (located at http://www.uspto.gov/ 

ip/rules/lookback.jsp) that will provide 

information about the plan, the Office’s 

progress in implementing the plan and 

reviewing regulations, and the 

comments the Office has received on the 

plan. Comments can be submitted to the 

Office at any time through that web 

page, even after the expiration of the 

comment period set forth in this notice. 

While the Office welcomes and values 

all comments from the public in 

response to this request, these 

comments do not bind the Office to any 

further actions related to the comments, 

and the Office may not respond to every 

comment that is submitted. 

Dated: June 29, 2011. 

David J. Kappos, 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual 

Property and Director of the United States 

Patent and Trademark Office. 

[FR Doc. 2011–16965 Filed 7–6–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–16–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 52 

[EPA–R01–OAR–2008–0639; A–1–FRL– 

9431–3] 

Approval and Promulgation of 

Implementation Plans; Connecticut; 

Infrastructure SIP for the 1997 8-Hour 

Ozone National Ambient Air Quality 

Standards 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: EPA is proposing to 

conditionally approve one element of 

Connecticut’s December 28, 2007 

submittal to meet the Clean Air Act 

infrastructure requirements for the 1997 

ozone National Ambient Air Quality 

Standard (NAAQS). The Clean Air Act 


wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with PROPOSALS_PART 1
39798 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 130 / Thursday, July 7, 2011 / Proposed Rules 

requires that each state adopt and 

submit a SIP for the implementation, 

maintenance and enforcement of each 

NAAQS promulgated by the EPA. This 

SIP is commonly referred to as an 

infrastructure SIP. The one element of 

the submittal that EPA is proposing to 

conditionally approve addresses 

requirements under Clean Air Act 

section 110(a)(2)(D)(ii). This action is 

being taken under the Clean Air Act. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before August 8, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, if 

any, on EPA’s direct final conditional 

approval for Connecticut, identified by 

Docket ID Number EPA–R01–OAR– 

2008–0639 by one of the following 

methods: 

1. http://www.regulations.gov: Follow 

the on-line instructions for submitting 

comments. 

2. E-mail: arnold.anne@epa.gov. Fax: 

(617) 918–0047. Mail: ‘‘Docket 

Identification Number EPA–R01–OAR– 

2008–0639’’, Anne Arnold, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 

New England Regional Office, Office of 

Ecosystem Protection, Air Quality 

Planning Unit, 5 Post Office Square— 

Suite 100, (Mail code OEP05–2), Boston, 

MA 02109–3912. 

3. Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver 

your comments to: Anne Arnold, 

Manager, Air Quality Planning Unit, 

Office of Ecosystem Protection, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 

New England Regional Office, Office of 

Ecosystem Protection, Air Quality 

Planning Unit, 5 Post Office Square— 

Suite 100, (Mail code OEP05–2), Boston, 

MA 02109–3912. Such deliveries are 

only accepted during the Regional 

Office’s normal hours of operation. The 

Regional Office’s official hours of 

business are Monday through Friday, 

8:30 to 4:30, excluding legal holidays. 

Instructions: Direct your comments 

for Connecticut to Docket ID No. EPA– 

R01–OAR–2008–0639. EPA’s policy is 

that all comments received will be 

included in the public docket without 

change and may be made available 

online at http://www.regulations.gov, 

including any personal information 

provided, unless the comment includes 

information claimed to be Confidential 

Business Information (CBI) or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. Do not submit 

through http://www.regulations.gov, or 

e-mail, information that you consider to 

be CBI or otherwise protected. The 

http://www.regulations.gov Web site is 

an ‘‘anonymous access’’ system, which 

means EPA will not know your identity 

or contact information unless you 

provide it in the body of your comment. 

If you send an e-mail comment directly 

to EPA without going through http:// 

www.regulations.gov your e-mail 

address will be automatically captured 

and included as part of the comment 

that is placed in the public docket and 

made available on the Internet. If you 

submit an electronic comment, EPA 

recommends that you include your 

name and other contact information in 

the body of your comment and with any 

disk or CD–ROM you submit. If EPA 

cannot read your comment due to 

technical difficulties and cannot contact 

you for clarification, EPA may not be 

able to consider your comment. 

Electronic files should avoid the use of 

special characters, any form of 

encryption, and be free of any defects or 

viruses. 

Docket: All documents in the 

electronic docket are listed in the 

http://www.regulations.gov index. 

Although listed in the index, some 

information is not publicly available, 

i.e., CBI or other information whose 

disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Certain other material, such as 

copyrighted material, is not placed on 

the Internet and will be publicly 

available only in hard copy form. 

Publicly available docket materials are 

available either electronically in http:// 

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 

Office of Ecosystem Protection, U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 

New England Regional Office, 5 Post 

Office Square, Suite 100, Boston, MA. 

EPA requests that if at all possible, you 

contact the person listed in the FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section to 

schedule your inspection. The Regional 

Office’s official hours of business are 

Monday through Friday, 8:30 to 4:30, 

excluding legal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Richard P. Burkhart, Air Quality 

Planning Unit, U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency, EPA New England 

Regional Office, 5 Post Office Square, 

Suite 100, Boston, MA 02109–3912, 

telephone number (617) 918–1664, fax 

number (617) 918–0664, e-mail 

Burkhart.Richard@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the 

Final Rules Section of this Federal 

Register, EPA is conditionally 

approving one element of Connecticut’s 

December 28, 2007 submittal to meet 

the Clean Air Act infrastructure 

requirements for the 1997 ozone 

NAAQS as a direct final rule without 

prior proposal because the Agency 

views this one element as 

noncontroversial and anticipates no 

adverse comments. A detailed rationale 

for the conditional approval of this one 

element is set forth in the direct final 

rule. In brief, Connecticut has 

committed to revise its SIP within a year 

to meet the requirement in section 

110(a)(2)(D)(ii) of the Act that the state’s 

SIP provide for notice to other states 

that might be affected by sources 

proposed to be permitted under the 

state’s Prevention of Significant 

Deterioration program. In addition, the 

state has committed in the meantime to 

continue its practice of providing such 

notice to affected states. If no adverse 

comments are received in response to 

this action, no further activity is 

contemplated. If EPA receives adverse 

comments, the direct final rule will be 

withdrawn and all public comments 

received will be addressed in a 

subsequent final rule based on this 

proposed rule. EPA will not institute a 

second comment period. Any parties 

interested in commenting on the 

conditional approval of the section 

110(a)(2)(D)(ii) element should do so at 

this time. Please note that if EPA 

receives adverse comment on an 

amendment, paragraph, or section of 

this rule and if that provision may be 

severed from the remainder of the rule, 

EPA may adopt as final those provisions 

of the rule that are not the subject of an 

adverse comment. 

For additional information, see the 

direct final rule which is located in the 

Rules Section of this Federal Register. 

Dated: June 28, 2011. 

Ira W. Leighton, 

Acting, Regional Administrator, EPA New 

England. 

[FR Doc. 2011–17025 Filed 7–6–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 81 

[EPA–HQ–OAR–2011–0572; FRL–9430–4] 

EPA Responses to State and Tribal 

2010 NO2 Designation 

Recommendations: Notice of 

Availability and Public Comment 

Period 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of availability and public 

comment period. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the EPA has posted its responses to state 

and tribal designation recommendations 

for the 2010 Primary Nitrogen Dioxide 

(NO2) National Ambient Air Quality 

Standard (NAAQS) on its Internet 

website. The EPA invites public 

comments on its responses during the 

30-day comment period specified in the 


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